MUMBAI : Call it the Omicron effect. Antibiotic medicine Azithral catapulted to become the largest-selling pharma brand in January for the first time ever, overtaking the market leader anti-diabetic therapy, Human Mixtard. The widely-prescribed antibiotic during the third wave jumped 20 notches, seeing 100% growth in January over December to net Rs 73 crore sales in organised pharma retail market.
Additionally, antibiotic brands Azithral & Azee, painrelief pills Calpol and Dolo, and cough syrup Grilinctus each posted a massive year-onyear growth of over 200% in January, in tandem with the rise in the Covid caseload. Antibiotics like azithromycin, painkillers, anti-infectives and cough syrups were the most prescribed treatment during the Omicron wave, with cases rising exponentially during January, experts told TOI.
Typically, the top pecking order in the domestic pharma retail market has been dominated by drugs for lifestyle ailments such as diabetes including Human Mixtard (Novo Nordisk), Glycomet-GP (USV) and Lantus (Sanofi). Azithral, marketed by Alembic Pharmaceuticals, mopped up sales of Rs 450 crore and was ranked 14th-highest selling brand for the full-year ended December 2021 (ORG IMS). It had crossed Rs 250 crore in sales according to ORG IMS in terms of moving annual total (MAT) for December 2019.
Azithral is an old brand, and enjoys the first-mover advantage in the market. It has been the market leader for years, and during Covid it recorded huge sales, an industry player told TOI. Overall as a therapy, anti-infectives posted the highest growth in January, followed by respiratory. Also, other drugs popped during the third wave saw a spike in sales too. Betadine, a commonly used antiseptic, also sold as a solution to gargle for sore throats, gained two ranks to secure the 8th position.
